[Cerek]

Originally posted by Dron_Cah: Wow, cerek, you worked with Salvatore? What'd you guys do? Also, has anyone noticed Im kinda trying to stimulate conversation here, so that we may actually learn about the people, instead of just what they answered in an online quiz? Just wonderin....

I didn't work with Salvatore. We just wrote letters back and forth ("corresponded"). Back in 1989-1990, I went to the local bookstore to find some new fantasy books to read. I eventually read most of the books written by authors for T.S.R. (forerunner to Wizards of the Coast). Some of them were real losers, but then I read the Icewind Dale Trilogy. WOW - What a an awesome story...and the coolest characters (as you know, I have a soft spot for barbarians). I was so impressed with the trilogy that I decided I just HAD to write a letter to this guy named Salvatore. This was his first set of books with T.S.R. - so he was basically a new and unknown author at the time (My, how times have changed).

Well, MUCH to my surprise, I actually got a letter BACK from Salvatore a few weeks later. I had to send my first letter to him through T.S.R. - but he gave me his home address with his letter and I wrote him directly from then on.

We traded letters back and forth for a couple of years. I DID actually make a suggestion to him about his books once. I was devestated when Wulfgar was killed in the Underdark. When Salvatore was writing the Clerical Quintet, I wrote a letter asking him if it was possible for Drizzt, Bruenor and Cattie-Brie to seek a means of returning their long lost friend back to life. After all, there seemed to be a new cleric in town that was very powerful, and his keep wasn't that far from the Spine of the World mountains.

I honostly believe I was one of the first to suggest the return of Wulfgar, but Salvatore said he had no plans to return Wulfgar at that time. Still, he said, you never know what might happen down the road. As his popularity grew, he obviously got several more letters from fans suggesting the same thing.

After the Cleric Quintet, I kinda lost interest in his books. The Dark Elf series was alright, but it just didn't have the same ZING as IWD (at least for me). I did start reading the series of books dealing with the continuing adventures of Drizzt and friends (including the return of Wulfgar). I read the first two books but haven't taken time to get the third one yet.

I did write another letter to R.A. a year or so ago, but never heard back from him. I'm sure his schedule is FAR too busy now to answer every letter and email he recieves from fans....and as much as I like his books....I'm sure I couldn't claim to be his "#1 fan" since I quit reading his books for so long.

Still, it was pretty cool to get personal letters from him back in the day and I still have a couple of them.